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Legg T, Clift B, Gilmore AB. Document analysis of the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World's scientific outputs and activities: a case study in contemporary tobacco industry agnogenesis. Tob Control 2024; 33:525-534. [PMID: 37137700 DOI: 10.1136/tc-2022-057667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Tobacco corporation Philip Morris International launched the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World (FSFW), a purportedly independent scientific organisation, in 2017. We aimed to systematically investigate FSFW's activities and outputs, comparing these with previous industry attempts to influence science, as identified in the recently developed typology of corporate influence on science, the Science for Profit Model (SPM). DESIGN We prospectively collected data on FSFW over a 4-year period, 2017-2021, and used document analysis to assess whether FSFW's activities mirror practices tobacco and other industries have historically used to shape science in their own interests. We used the SPM as an analytical framework, working deductively to search for use of the strategies it identifies, and inductively to search for any additional strategies. RESULTS Marked similarities between FSFW's practices and previous corporate attempts to influence science were observed, including: producing tobacco industry-friendly research and opinion; obscuring industry involvement in science; funding third parties which denigrate science and scientists that may threaten industry profitability; and promoting tobacco industry credibility. CONCLUSIONS Our paper identifies FSFW as a new vehicle for agnogenesis, indicating that, over 70 years since the tobacco industry began to manipulate science, efforts to protect science from its interference remain inadequate. This, combined with growing evidence that other industries are engaging in similar practices, illustrates the urgent need to develop more robust systems to protect scientific integrity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tess Legg
- Department for Health, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - Bryan Clift
- Department for Health, University of Bath, Bath, UK
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2
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Rubinson NG, Fong GT, Gravely S, Quah ACK, Bitan M, Lev Ari S, Rosen LJ. The association between risk perceptions, anxiety, and self-reported changes in tobacco and nicotine product use due to COVID-19 in May-June 2020 in Israel. BMC Public Health 2023; 23:759. [PMID: 37098558 PMCID: PMC10126559 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-15351-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/01/2023] [Indexed: 04/27/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, reports about a possible protective effect of nicotine on COVID-19 conflicted with messaging by public health organizations about increased risks of COVID-19 due to smoking. The ambiguous information the public received, combined with COVID-19-induced anxiety, may have led to changes in tobacco or other nicotine product use. This study examined changes in use of combustible cigarettes (CCs), nargila (hookah/waterpipe), e-cigarettes, and IQOS and home-smoking behaviors. We also assessed COVID-19 related anxiety and perceptions regarding changes in risk of COVID-19 severity due to smoking. METHODS We used cross-sectional data from a population telephone survey that was conducted in Israel in the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic (May-June 2020) and included 420 adult (age 18+) individuals who reported having ever used CCs (n = 391), nargila (n = 193), and/or electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes)/heated tobacco products (e.g., IQOS) (n = 52). Respondents were asked about the effect that COVID-19 had on their nicotine product use (quit/reduced use, no change, increased use). We assessed changes in product use, risk perceptions, and anxiety using adjusted multinomial logistic regression analyses. RESULTS Most respondents did not change their frequency of product use (CCs: 81.0%, nargila: 88.2%, e-cigarettes/IQOS: 96.8%). A small percentage either decreased use (CCs: 7.2%, nargila: 3.2%, e-cigarettes/IQOS:2.4%) or increased use (CCs:11.8%, nargila:8.6%, e-cigarettes/IQOS:+ 0.9%). 55.6% of respondents used a product in the home prior to COVID-19; but during the first lockdown COVID-19 period, a greater percentage increased (12.6%) than decreased (4.0%) their home use. Higher levels of anxiety due to COVID-19 were associated with increased home smoking (aOR = 1.59, 95% CI:1.04-2.42, p = 0.02). Many respondents believed that increased severity of COVID-19 illness was associated with CCs (62.0%) and e-cigarettes/vaping (45.3%), with uncertainty about the association being lower for CCs (20.5%) than for vaping (41.3%). CONCLUSIONS While many respondents believed that nicotine product use (particularly CCs and e-cigarettes) was associated with increased risk of COVID-19 disease severity, the majority of users did not change their tobacco/nicotine use. The confusion about the relationship between tobacco use and COVID-19 calls for clear evidence-based messaging from governments. The association between home smoking and increased COVID-19-related stress suggests the need for campaigns and resources to prevent smoking in the home, particularly during times of stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noah G Rubinson
- School of Medicine, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Israel
| | - Geoffrey T Fong
- Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada
- School of Public Health Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada
- Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Toronto, Canada
| | - Shannon Gravely
- Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada
| | - Anne C K Quah
- Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada
| | - Michal Bitan
- Department of Computer Science, College of Management Academic Studies, Rishon LeZion, Israel
- Department of Health Promotion, School of Public Health, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Israel
| | - Shahar Lev Ari
- Department of Health Promotion, School of Public Health, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Israel
| | - Laura J Rosen
- Department of Health Promotion, School of Public Health, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Israel.
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3
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Campagna D, Russo C, Trovato E, Bridgeman J, Polosa R. Different death rates between COVID-19 waves among unvaccinated patients: moving beyond lessons learned. Intern Emerg Med 2023; 18:7-9. [PMID: 36273045 PMCID: PMC9589680 DOI: 10.1007/s11739-022-03131-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 10/09/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Davide Campagna
- Center of Excellence for the Acceleration of HArm Reduction (CoEHAR), University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
- UOC MCAU, University Teaching Hospital "Policlinico-Vittorio Emanuele", University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
| | - Crsitina Russo
- Ashford and Saint Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust, Chertsey, Surrey, UK
| | - Elisa Trovato
- UOC MCAU, University Teaching Hospital "Policlinico-Vittorio Emanuele", University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Joseph Bridgeman
- Ashford and Saint Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust, Chertsey, Surrey, UK
| | - Riccardo Polosa
- Center of Excellence for the Acceleration of HArm Reduction (CoEHAR), University of Catania, Catania, Italy
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
- ECLAT srl, Spin-off of the University of Catania, Catania, Italy
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4
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Exploring the perceived effectiveness and cultural acceptability of COVID-19 relevant social media intervention content among Alaska Native people who Smoke: The CAN Quit Study. Prev Med Rep 2022; 30:102042. [PMID: 36405042 PMCID: PMC9639382 DOI: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2022.102042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2022] [Revised: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 11/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Social media platforms have potential for reach and effectiveness to motivate smoking cessation and use of evidence-based cessation treatment, even during the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. This study builds on our prior community participatory approach to developing content postings for the CAN Quit Facebook intervention among Alaska Native (AN) people who smoke. With input from a community advisory committee, we selected new content on COVID-19 preventive practices (e.g., masking) and evaluated them using a validated, six-item perceived effectiveness scale and a single item assessing cultural relevance. We obtained feedback on six content postings (two videos and four text/pictures) from an online survey administered to 41 AN people (14 men, 27 women; age range 22–61 years) who smoke in Alaska statewide with 49 % residing in rural Alaska. Perceived effectiveness scale scores were high across postings, ranging from 3.9 to 4.4 out of a maximum score of 5.0. Cultural relevance item scores ranged from 3.9 to 4.3. We found no appreciable differences by sex, age, or rural/urban location for either score. This study adds new information on the adaptation, acceptability, and perceived effectiveness of content on COVID-19 preventive practices for future inclusion in a social media-based intervention for smoking cessation specifically tailored for AN people.
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Tomaselli V, Ferrara P, Cantone GG, Romeo AC, Rust S, Saitta D, Caraci F, Romano C, Thangaraju M, Zuccarello P, Rose J, Ferrante M, Belsey J, Cibella F, Caci G, Ferri R, Polosa R. The effect of laboratory-verified smoking on SARS-CoV-2 infection: results from the Troina sero-epidemiological survey. Intern Emerg Med 2022; 17:1617-1630. [PMID: 35419722 PMCID: PMC9007731 DOI: 10.1007/s11739-022-02975-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Previous research yielded conflicting results on the association between cigarette smoking and risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Since the prevalence of smoking is high globally, the study of its impact on COVID-19 pandemic may have considerable implications for public health. This study is the first to investigate the association between the SARS-CoV-2 antibody sero-positivity and biochemically verified smoking status, to refine current estimates on this association. SARS-CoV-2-specific IgG and serum cotinine levels (a well-known marker of tobacco exposure) were assessed in a large sero-epidemiological survey conducted in the town of Troina (Sicily, Italy). A propensity score matching was carried out to reduce the effect of possible factors on SARS-CoV-2 infection risk among study participants. Of the 1785 subjects included in our study, one-third was classified as current smokers, based on serum cotinine levels. The overall proportion of subjects with positive serology for SARS-CoV-2 IgG was 5.4%. The prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibody positivity and previous COVID-19 diagnosis were reduced in smokers. This reduced prevalence persisted after adjusting for possible confounders (such as sex, age, previous infection, chronic conditions, and risk group) at regression analyses, and the point estimates based on the PS-matched models resulted consistent with those for the unmatched population. This study found a lower proportion of positive SARS-CoV-2 serology among current smokers, using direct laboratory measures of tobacco exposure and thus avoiding possible bias associated with self-reported smoking status. Results may also serve as a reference for future clinical research on potential pharmaceutical role of nicotine or nicotinic-cholinergic agonists against COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Venera Tomaselli
- Department of Political and Social Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
- Center of Excellence for the Acceleration of Harm Reduction (CoEHAR), University di Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Pietro Ferrara
- Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
- Center for Public Health Research, University of Milan-Bicocca, Monza, Italy
| | - Giulio G Cantone
- Department of Physics and Astronomy "Ettore Majorana", University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | | | - Sonja Rust
- ECLAT Srl, Spin-off of the University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Daniela Saitta
- Center of Excellence for the Acceleration of Harm Reduction (CoEHAR), University di Catania, Catania, Italy
- ECLAT Srl, Spin-off of the University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Filippo Caraci
- Center of Excellence for the Acceleration of Harm Reduction (CoEHAR), University di Catania, Catania, Italy
- Oasi Research Institute-IRCCS, Troina, Italy
- Department of Drug and Health Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | | | - Murugesan Thangaraju
- Bioanalytical Laboratory, Center for Smoking Cessation, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, USA
| | - Pietro Zuccarello
- Department of Medical, Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies "G.F. Ingrassia", University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Jed Rose
- Bioanalytical Laboratory, Center for Smoking Cessation, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, USA
| | - Margherita Ferrante
- Center of Excellence for the Acceleration of Harm Reduction (CoEHAR), University di Catania, Catania, Italy
- Department of Medical, Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies "G.F. Ingrassia", University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | | | - Fabio Cibella
- Center of Excellence for the Acceleration of Harm Reduction (CoEHAR), University di Catania, Catania, Italy
- Institute of Biomedicine and Molecular Immunology, National Research Council of Italy, Palermo, Italy
| | - Grazia Caci
- Unit of Infectious Diseases, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | | | - Riccardo Polosa
- Center of Excellence for the Acceleration of Harm Reduction (CoEHAR), University di Catania, Catania, Italy.
- ECLAT Srl, Spin-off of the University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
- Institute of Internal Medicine, AOU "Policlinico-V. Emanuele", Via S. Sofia, 78, Catania, Italy.
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The association between tobacco use and COVID-19 in Qatar. Prev Med Rep 2022; 28:101832. [PMID: 35607613 PMCID: PMC9116971 DOI: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2022.101832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2021] [Revised: 05/12/2022] [Accepted: 05/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Tobacco smoking prevalence in the total sample was only 11.0% Smokeless tobacco users may be at an increased risk for severe disease. Smoking was not associated with an increased risk of greater disease severity. Increased age and co-morbidities were the most important risk factors for severity. Considering limitations, COVID-19 severity may be affected by other factors.
The effects of smoking on COVID-19 are controversial. Some studies show no link between smoking and severe COVID-19, whereas others demonstrate a significant link. This cross-sectional study aims to determine the prevalence of tobacco use among COVID-19 patients, examine the relationship between tobacco use and hospitalized COVID-19 (non-severe and severe), and quantify its risk factors. A random sample of 7430 COVID-19 patients diagnosed between 27 February-30 May 2020 in Qatar were recruited over the telephone to complete an interviewer-administered questionnaire. The prevalence of tobacco smoking in the total sample was 11.0%, with 12.6% among those quarantined, 5.7% among hospitalized patients, and 2.5% among patients with severe COVID-19. Smokeless tobacco and e-cigarette use were reported by 3.2% and 0.6% of the total sample, respectively. We found a significant lower risk for hospitalization and severity of COVID-19 among current tobacco smokers (p < 0.001) relative to non-smokers (never and ex-smokers). Risk factors significantly related to an increased risk of being hospitalized with COVID-19 were older age (aged 55 + ), being male, non-Qatari, and those with heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, asthma, cancer, and chronic renal disease. Smokeless tobacco use, older age (aged 55 + ), being male, non-Qatari, previously diagnosed with heart disease and diabetes were significant risk factors for severe COVID-19. Our data suggests that only smokeless tobacco users may be at an increased risk for severe disease, yet this requires further investigation as other studies have reported smoking to be associated with an increased risk of greater disease severity.
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7
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Javelot H, Straczek C, Meyer G, Gitahy Falcao Faria C, Weiner L, Drapier D, Fakra E, Fossati P, Weibel S, Dizet S, Langrée B, Masson M, Gaillard R, Leboyer M, Llorca PM, Hingray C, Haffen E, Yrondi A. Psychotropics and COVID-19: An analysis of safety and prophylaxis. L'ENCEPHALE 2021; 47:564-588. [PMID: 34548153 PMCID: PMC8410507 DOI: 10.1016/j.encep.2021.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2021] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The use of psychotropics during the COVID-19 pandemic has raised two questions, in order of importance: first, what changes should be made to pharmacological treatments prescribed to mental health patients? Secondly, are there any positive side effects of these substances against SARS-CoV-2? Our aim was to analyze usage safety of psychotropics during COVID-19; therefore, herein, we have studied: (i) the risk of symptomatic complications of COVID-19 associated with the use of these drugs, notably central nervous system activity depression, QTc interval enlargement and infectious and thromboembolic complications; (ii) the risk of mistaking the iatrogenic impact of psychotropics with COVID-19 symptoms, causing diagnostic error. Moreover, we provided a summary of the different information available today for these risks, categorized by mental health disorder, for the following: schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, ADHD, sleep disorders and suicidal risk. The matter of psychoactive substance use during the pandemic is also analyzed in this paper, and guideline websites and publications for psychotropic treatments in the context of COVID-19 are referenced during the text, so that changes on those guidelines and eventual interaction between psychotropics and COVID-19 treatment medication can be reported and studied. Finally, we also provide a literature review of the latest known antiviral properties of psychotropics against SARS-CoV-2 as complementary information.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Javelot
- Établissement public de santé Alsace Nord, 141, avenue Strasbourg, 67170 Brumath, France; Laboratoire de toxicologie et pharmacologie neuro cardiovasculaire, centre de recherche en biomédecine de Strasbourg, université de Strasbourg, 1, rue Eugène-Boeckel, 67000 Strasbourg, France.
| | - C Straczek
- Département de pharmacie, CHU d'Henri-Mondor, université Paris Est Créteil (UPEC), AP-HP, 1, rue Gustave-Eiffel, 94000 Créteil, France; Inserm U955, institut Mondor de recherche biomédical, neuropsychiatrie translationnelle, 8, rue du Général-Sarrail, 94000 Créteil, France
| | - G Meyer
- Service pharmacie, établissement public de santé Alsace Nord, 141, avenue Strasbourg, 67170 Brumath, France; Service pharmacie, CHU de Strasbourg, 1, porte de L'Hôpital, 67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - C Gitahy Falcao Faria
- Institute of Psychiatry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), avenue Pedro-Calmon, 550 - Cidade Universitária da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, 21941-901 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - L Weiner
- Clinique de psychiatrie, hôpitaux universitaire de Strasbourg, 1, porte de L'Hôpital, 67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - D Drapier
- Pôle hospitalo-universitaire de psychiatrie adulte, centre hospitalier Guillaume-Régnier, rue du Moulin-de-Joué, 35700 Rennes, France; EA 4712, comportements et noyaux gris centraux, université de Rennes 1, 2, avenue du Professeur Léon-Bernard, CS 34317, campus santé de Villejean, 35043 Rennes cedex, France
| | - E Fakra
- Pôle universitaire de psychiatrie, CHU de Saint-Étienne, 37, rue Michelet, 42000 Saint-Étienne, France
| | - P Fossati
- Inserm U1127, ICM, service de psychiatrie adultes, groupe hospitalier pitié Salpêtrière, Sorbonne université, AP-HP, 47-83, boulevard de l'Hôpital, 75013 Paris, France
| | - S Weibel
- Clinique de psychiatrie, hôpitaux universitaire de Strasbourg, 1, porte de L'Hôpital, 67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - S Dizet
- Centre de ressources et d'expertise en psychopharmacologie (CREPP) Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Chalon-sur-Saône, France; Service Pharmacie, CHS de Sevrey, 55, rue Auguste-Champio, 71100 Sevrey, France
| | - B Langrée
- Service pharmacie, centre hospitalier Guillaume-Régnier, rue du Moulin-de-Joué, 35700 Rennes, France; Clinique du Château de Garches, Nightingale Hospitals-Paris, 11, bis rue de la Porte-Jaune, 92380 Garches, France
| | - M Masson
- SHU, GHU psychiatrie et neurosciences, 1, rue Cabanis, 75014 Paris, France; GHU psychiatrie et neurosciences, université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - R Gaillard
- Conseil national des universités (CNU), 1, rue Cabanis, 75014 Paris, France
| | - M Leboyer
- Inserm, DMU IMPACT, IMRB, translational neuropsychiatry, fondation FondaMental, hôpitaux universitaires « H. Mondor », université Paris Est Créteil (UPEC), AP-HP, 40, rue de Mesly, 94000 Créteil, France; CHU de Clermont-Ferrand, 58, rue Montalembert, 63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - P M Llorca
- Université Clermont-Auvergne, 1, rue Lucie- et Raymond-Aubrac, 63100 Clermont-Ferrand, France; Pôle hospitalo-universitaire de psychiatrie d'adultes du Grand Nancy, centre psychothérapique de Nancy, 1, rue Docteur Archambault, 54520 Laxou, France
| | - C Hingray
- Département de neurologie, CHU de Nancy, 25, rue Lionnois, 54000 Nancy, France; CIC-1431 Inserm, service de psychiatrie, CHU de Besançon, 3, boulevard Alexandre-Fleming, 25000 Besançon, France
| | - E Haffen
- Laboratoire de neurosciences, université de Franche-Comté, 19, rue Ambroise-Paré, 25030 Besançon cedex, France
| | - A Yrondi
- Unité ToNIC, UMR 1214 CHU Purpan-Pavillon Baudot, place du Dr Joseph Baylac, 31024 Toulouse cedex 3, France
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Loud EE, Gallegos-Carrillo K, Barrientos-Gutiérrez I, Arillo-Santillán E, Lambert VC, Zavala-Arciniega L, Thrasher JF. Smoking Behaviors, Mental Health, and Risk Perceptions during the Beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic among Mexican Adult Smokers. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:10905. [PMID: 34682643 PMCID: PMC8535597 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph182010905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2021] [Revised: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Mexico is one of the countries most affected by COVID-19. Studies have found that smoking behaviors have been impacted by the pandemic as well; however, results have varied across studies, and it remains unclear what is causing the changes. This study of an open cohort of smokers recruited from a consumer panel (n = 2753) examined changes in cigarettes per day (CPD), daily vs. non-daily smoking, recent quit attempts, perceived stress, depression, and perceived severity of COVID-19 at two points during the pandemic: March and July 2020. Differences in CPD between waves were estimated with Poisson regression using generalized estimating equations (GEE). Differences in perceived stress were estimated with linear regression using GEE, and differences in recent quit attempts, depression, and perceived severity of COVID-19 were estimated using separate logistic regression GEE models. Rates of depression were higher in July compared to March (AOR = 1.55, 95% C.I. 1.31-1.85), and the likelihood of recent quit attempt was lower in July compared to March (AOR = 0.85, 95% C.I. 0.75-0.98). There was no statistically significant change in CPD, daily smoking, or perceived stress. Perceived COVID-19 severity for oneself increased significantly (AOR: 1.24, 95% C.I. 1.02-1.52); however, the perceived COVID-19 severity for smokers remained constant. Our study suggests that as the COVID-19 pandemic expanded in Mexico, smoking frequency remained stable, and quit attempts decreased, even as adult smokers increasingly perceived infection with COVID-19 for themselves as severe. These results can aid in the development of health communication strategies to educate smokers about their risk for COVID-19, potentially capitalizing on concerns that stem from this syndemic of communicable and smoking-related non-communicable disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily E. Loud
- Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29201, USA; (V.C.L.); (J.F.T.)
| | - Katia Gallegos-Carrillo
- Epidemiological and Health Services Research Unit, Mexican Social Security Institute, Cuernavaca 62000, Mexico;
| | | | - Edna Arillo-Santillán
- National Institute of Public Health, Mexico City 62100, Mexico; (I.B.-G.); (E.A.-S.)
| | - Victoria C. Lambert
- Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29201, USA; (V.C.L.); (J.F.T.)
| | | | - James F. Thrasher
- Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29201, USA; (V.C.L.); (J.F.T.)
- National Institute of Public Health, Mexico City 62100, Mexico; (I.B.-G.); (E.A.-S.)
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Martos-Benítez FD, Soler-Morejón CD, García-Del Barco D. Chronic comorbidities and clinical outcomes in patients with and without COVID-19: a large population-based study using national administrative healthcare open data of Mexico. Intern Emerg Med 2021; 16:1507-1517. [PMID: 33411264 PMCID: PMC7788175 DOI: 10.1007/s11739-020-02597-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2020] [Accepted: 12/02/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was rapidly expanded worldwide within a short period. Its relationship with chronic comorbidities is still unclear. We aimed to determine the effects of chronic comorbidities on clinical outcomes of patients with and without COVID-19. This was an analysis of 65,535 patients with suspicion of viral respiratory disease (38,324 SARS-CoV-2 positive and 27,211 SARS-CoV-2 negative) from January 01 to May 12, 2020 using the national administrative healthcare open data of Mexico. SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed by reverse-transcriptase-polymerase-chain-reaction. General characteristics and chronic comorbidities were explored. Clinical outcomes of interest were hospital admission, pneumonia, intensive care unit admission, endotracheal intubation and mortality. Prevalence of chronic comorbidities was 49.4%. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the effect of age, male sex, bronchial asthma, diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease on clinical outcomes was similar for both SARS-CoV-2 positive and negative patients. Adverse clinical outcomes were associated with the time from symptoms onset to medical contact, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hypertension and obesity in SARS-CoV-2 positive patients, but with cardiovascular disease in SARS-CoV-2 negative patients (p value < 0.01 for all comparisons). Chronic comorbidities are commonly found in patients with suspicion of viral respiratory disease. The knowledge of the impact of comorbidities on adverse clinical outcomes can better define those COVID-19 patients at higher risk. The different impact of the specific type of chronic comorbidity on clinical outcomes in patients with and without SARS-CoV-2 infection requires further researches. These findings need confirmation using other data sources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank Daniel Martos-Benítez
- Intensive Care Unit 8B, Hermanos Ameijeiras Hospital, 701 San Lázaro St., Havana Centre, 10300, Havana City, Cuba.
| | - Caridad Dios Soler-Morejón
- Intensive Care Unit 8B, Hermanos Ameijeiras Hospital, 701 San Lázaro St., Havana Centre, 10300, Havana City, Cuba
| | - Diana García-Del Barco
- Biomedical Research Division, Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, 25th St., Playa, 10300, Havana City, Cuba
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10
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Bayat V, Ryono R, Phelps S, Geis E, Sedghi F, Etminani P, Holodniy M. Reduced Mortality With Ondansetron Use in SARS-CoV-2-Infected Inpatients. Open Forum Infect Dis 2021; 8:ofab336. [PMID: 34307731 PMCID: PMC8294673 DOI: 10.1093/ofid/ofab336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2021] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to a surge in clinical trials evaluating investigational and approved drugs. Retrospective analysis of drugs taken by COVID-19 inpatients provides key information on drugs associated with better or worse outcomes. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 10 741 patients testing positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection within 3 days of admission to compare risk of 30-day all-cause mortality in patients receiving ondansetron using multivariate Cox proportional hazard models. All-cause mortality, length of hospital stay, adverse events such as ischemic cerebral infarction, and subsequent positive COVID-19 tests were measured. Results Administration of ≥8 mg of ondansetron within 48 hours of admission was correlated with an adjusted hazard ratio for 30-day all-cause mortality of 0.55 (95% CI, 0.42-0.70; P < .001) and 0.52 (95% CI, 0.31-0.87; P = .012) for all and intensive care unit-admitted patients, respectively. Decreased lengths of stay (9.2 vs 11.6; P < .001), frequencies of subsequent positive SARS-CoV-2 tests (53.6% vs 75.0%; P = .01), and long-term risks of ischemic cerebral ischemia (3.2% vs 6.1%; P < .001) were also noted. Conclusions If confirmed by prospective clinical trials, our results suggest that ondansetron, a safe, widely available drug, could be used to decrease morbidity and mortality in at-risk populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vafa Bayat
- Bitscopic Inc., Palo Alto, California, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Mark Holodniy
- Public Health Surveillance and Research, Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, DC, USA.,Division of Infectious Disease & Geographic Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
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11
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Mamidi TKK, Tran-Nguyen TK, Melvin RL, Worthey EA. Development of An Individualized Risk Prediction Model for COVID-19 Using Electronic Health Record Data. Front Big Data 2021; 4:675882. [PMID: 34151259 PMCID: PMC8211871 DOI: 10.3389/fdata.2021.675882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Developing an accurate and interpretable model to predict an individual's risk for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a critical step to efficiently triage testing and other scarce preventative resources. To aid in this effort, we have developed an interpretable risk calculator that utilized de-identified electronic health records (EHR) from the University of Alabama at Birmingham Informatics for Integrating Biology and the Bedside (UAB-i2b2) COVID-19 repository under the U-BRITE framework. The generated risk scores are analogous to commonly used credit scores where higher scores indicate higher risks for COVID-19 infection. By design, these risk scores can easily be calculated in spreadsheets or even with pen and paper. To predict risk, we implemented a Credit Scorecard modeling approach on longitudinal EHR data from 7,262 patients enrolled in the UAB Health System who were evaluated and/or tested for COVID-19 between January and June 2020. In this cohort, 912 patients were positive for COVID-19. Our workflow considered the timing of symptoms and medical conditions and tested the effects by applying different variable selection techniques such as LASSO and Elastic-Net. Within the two weeks before a COVID-19 diagnosis, the most predictive features were respiratory symptoms such as cough, abnormalities of breathing, pain in the throat and chest as well as other chronic conditions including nicotine dependence and major depressive disorder. When extending the timeframe to include all medical conditions across all time, our models also uncovered several chronic conditions impacting the respiratory, cardiovascular, central nervous and urinary organ systems. The whole pipeline of data processing, risk modeling and web-based risk calculator can be applied to any EHR data following the OMOP common data format. The results can be employed to generate questionnaires to estimate COVID-19 risk for screening in building entries or to optimize hospital resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tarun Karthik Kumar Mamidi
- Center for Computational Genomics and Data Science, Departments of Pediatrics and Pathology, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Thi K. Tran-Nguyen
- Hugh Kaul Precision Medicine Institute, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Ryan L. Melvin
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Elizabeth A. Worthey
- Center for Computational Genomics and Data Science, Departments of Pediatrics and Pathology, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, United States
- Hugh Kaul Precision Medicine Institute, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
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12
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MHC Haplotyping of SARS-CoV-2 Patients: HLA Subtypes Are Not Associated with the Presence and Severity of COVID-19 in the Israeli Population. J Clin Immunol 2021; 41:1154-1161. [PMID: 34050837 PMCID: PMC8164405 DOI: 10.1007/s10875-021-01071-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
HLA haplotypes were found to be associated with increased risk for viral infections or disease severity in various diseases, including SARS. Several genetic variants are associated with COVID-19 severity. Studies have proposed associations, based on a very small sample and a large number of tested HLA alleles, but no clear association between HLA and COVID-19 incidence or severity has been reported. We conducted a large-scale HLA analysis of Israeli individuals who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection by PCR. Overall, 72,912 individuals with known HLA haplotypes were included in the study, of whom 6413 (8.8%) were found to have SARS-CoV-2 by PCR. A total of 20,937 subjects were of Ashkenazi origin (at least 2/4 grandparents). One hundred eighty-one patients (2.8% of the infected) were hospitalized due to the disease. None of the 66 most common HLA loci (within the five HLA subgroups: A, B, C, DQB1, DRB1) was found to be associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection or hospitalization in the general Israeli population. Similarly, no association was detected in the Ashkenazi Jewish subset. Moreover, no association was found between heterozygosity in any of the HLA loci and either infection or hospitalization. We conclude that HLA haplotypes are not a major risk/protecting factor among the Israeli population for SARS-CoV-2 infection or severity. Our results suggest that if any HLA association exists with the disease it is very weak, and of limited effect on the pandemic.
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13
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Puebla Neira D, Watts A, Seashore J, Polychronopoulou E, Kuo YF, Sharma G. Smoking and risk of COVID-19 hospitalization. Respir Med 2021; 182:106414. [PMID: 33915414 PMCID: PMC8052507 DOI: 10.1016/j.rmed.2021.106414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Revised: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 04/11/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Rationale The association between smoking status and severe Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) remains controversial. Objective To assess the risk of hospitalization (as a marker of severe COVID-19) in patients by smoking status: former, current and never smokers, who tested positive for the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV2) at an academic medical center in the United States. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study in patients with SARS-COV2 between March-1-2020 and January-31-2021 to identify the risk of hospitalization due to COVID-19 by smoking status. Results We identified 10216 SARS-COV2-positive patients with complete documentation of smoking habits. Within 14 days of a SARS-COV2 positive test, 1150 (11.2%) patients were admitted and 188 (1.8%) died. Significantly more former smokers were hospitalized from COVID-19 than current or never smokers (21.2% former smokers; 7.3% current smokers; 10.4% never smokers, p<0.0001). In univariable analysis, former smokers had higher odds of hospitalization from COVID-19 than never smokers (OR 2.31; 95% CI 1.94-2.74). This association remained significant when analysis was adjusted for age, race and gender (OR 1.28; 95% CI 1.06-1.55), but became non-significant when analysis included Body Mass Index, previous hospitalization and number of comorbidities (OR 1.05; 95% CI 0.86-1.29). In contrast, current smokers were less likely than never smokers to be hospitalized due to COVID-19. Conclusions Significantly more former smokers were hospitalized and died from COVID-19 than current or never smokers. This effect is mediated via age and comorbidities in former smokers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Puebla Neira
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch. Galveston, TX, USA.
| | - Abigail Watts
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch. Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Justin Seashore
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch. Galveston, TX, USA
| | | | - Yong-Fang Kuo
- Office of Biostatistics, University of Texas Medical Branch. Galveston, TX, USA; Sealy Center on Aging, University of Texas Medical Branch. Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Gulshan Sharma
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch. Galveston, TX, USA
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14
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SARS2 simplified scores to estimate risk of hospitalization and death among patients with COVID-19. Sci Rep 2021; 11:4945. [PMID: 33654180 PMCID: PMC7925678 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-84603-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 02/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Although models have been developed for predicting severity of COVID-19 from the medical history of patients, simplified models with good accuracy could be more practical. In this study, we examined utility of simpler models for estimating risk of hospitalization of patients with COVID-19 and mortality of these patients based on demographic characteristics (sex, age, race, median household income based on zip code) and smoking status of 12,347 patients who tested positive at Mass General Brigham centers. The corresponding electronic records were queried (02/26–07/14/2020) to construct derivation and validation cohorts. The derivation cohort was used to fit generalized linear models for estimating risk of hospitalization within 30 days of COVID-19 diagnosis and mortality within approximately 3 months for the hospitalized patients. In the validation cohort, the model resulted in c-statistics of 0.77 [95% CI 0.73–0.80] for hospitalization, and 0.84 [95% CI 0.74–0.94] for mortality among hospitalized patients. Higher risk was associated with older age, male sex, Black ethnicity, lower socioeconomic status, and current/past smoking status. The models can be applied to predict the absolute risks of hospitalization and mortality, and could aid in individualizing the decision making when detailed medical history of patients is not readily available.
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15
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Mallet J, Dubertret C, Le Strat Y. Addictions in the COVID-19 era: Current evidence, future perspectives a comprehensive review. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2021; 106:110070. [PMID: 32800868 PMCID: PMC7420609 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2020.110070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2020] [Revised: 08/07/2020] [Accepted: 08/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In the context of the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic, an up-to-date review of current challenges in addictions is necessary. While large scale disasters may have an impact on substance use and addictions, the use of some substances is also likely to modify the risk of COVID-19 infection or course. Many countries have imposed lockdowns. Whether this quarantine or the end of lockdown measures will have an impact on substance use is discussed. The aim of this review is to gather knowledge for clinicians and to guide public health policies during/after lockdown. METHODS PubMed was reviewed in August 6th (2020), to determine the current evidences and observations concerning the addictions and SARS-CoV2. We used all the names of the severe acute respiratory syndrome of coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2 previously 2019 nCoV), the name of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and common substances of abuse. For the physiopathological parts, searches were conducted using key words such as "infection" or "pneumonia". For the lockdown effects, key words such as "quarantine", "disaster" or "outbreak" were used. RESULTS Overall, pathophysiological data showed an increased risk of infections for individuals with Substance Use Disorders (SUD) and a possible protective role of nicotine. During lockdown, there is a substantial risk of increasing SUDs. Individuals with opioid use disorder are particularly at risk of relapse or of involuntary withdrawal. After lockdown, increase of use may be observed as far as years after. Individuals with addictions are at higher risk of multimorbidity and mortality during COVID outbreak. CONCLUSION This review describes useful strategies in clinical practice, including a systematic assessment of addiction comorbidity during this almost worldwide lockdown/pandemic. This review also highlights important areas for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasmina Mallet
- AP-HP, Department of Psychiatry, Louis Mourier Hospital, Université de Paris, Faculté de Médecine, Colombes, France; Institute of Psychiatry and Neurosciences of Paris (IPNP, Inserm U1266), 102 rue de la Santé, 75014 Paris, France.
| | - Caroline Dubertret
- AP-HP, Department of Psychiatry, Louis Mourier Hospital, Université de Paris, Faculté de Médecine, Colombes, France; Institute of Psychiatry and Neurosciences of Paris (IPNP, Inserm U1266), 102 rue de la Santé, 75014 Paris, France
| | - Yann Le Strat
- AP-HP, Department of Psychiatry, Louis Mourier Hospital, Université de Paris, Faculté de Médecine, Colombes, France; Institute of Psychiatry and Neurosciences of Paris (IPNP, Inserm U1266), 102 rue de la Santé, 75014 Paris, France
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16
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Zhang H, Ma S, Han T, Qu G, Cheng C, Uy JP, Shaikh MB, Zhou Q, Song EJ, Sun C. Association of smoking history with severe and critical outcomes in COVID-19 patients: A systemic review and meta-analysis. Eur J Integr Med 2021; 43:101313. [PMID: 33619437 PMCID: PMC7889467 DOI: 10.1016/j.eujim.2021.101313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2020] [Revised: 02/10/2021] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Introduction The highly infectious coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has now rapidly spread around the world. This meta-analysis was strictly focused on the influence of smoking history on the severe and critical outcomes on people with COVID-19 pneumonia. Methods A systematic literature search was conducted in eight online databases before 1 February 2021. All studies meeting our selection criteria were included and evaluated. Stata 14.0 software was used to analyze the data. Results A total of 109 articles involving 517,020 patients were included in this meta-analysis. A statistically significant association was discovered between smoking history and COVID-19 severity, the pooled OR was 1.55 (95%CI: 1.41-1.71). Smoking was significantly associated with the risk of admission to intensive care unit (ICU) (OR=1.73, 95%CI: 1.36-2.19), increased mortality (OR=1.58, 95%CI: 1.38-1.81), and critical diseases composite endpoints (OR=1.61, 95%CI: 1.35-1.93), whereas there was no relationship with mechanical ventilation. The pooled prevalence of smoking using the random effects model (REM) was 15% (95%CI: 14%-16%). Meta-regression analysis showed that age (P=0.004), hypertension (P=0.007), diabetes (P=0.029), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (P=0.001) were covariates that affect the association. Conclusions Smoking was associated with severe or critical outcomes and increased the risk of admission to ICU and mortality in COVID-19 patients, but not associated with mechanical ventilation. This association was more significant for former smokers than in current smokers. Current smokers also had a higher risk of developing severe COVID-19 compared with non-smokers. More detailed data, which are representative of more countries, are needed to confirm these preliminary findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huimei Zhang
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, Anhui, PR China
| | - Shaodi Ma
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, Anhui, PR China
| | - Tiantian Han
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, Anhui, PR China
| | - Guangbo Qu
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, Anhui, PR China
| | - Ce Cheng
- The University of Arizona College of Medicine at South Campus, 2800 E Ajo Way, Tucson AZ, 85713, USA
| | - John Patrick Uy
- AMITA Health Saint Joseph Hospital Chicago, 2900 N. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago 60657, Illinois, USA
| | - Mohammad Baseem Shaikh
- AMITA Health Saint Joseph Hospital Chicago, 2900 N. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago 60657, Illinois, USA
| | - Qin Zhou
- Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Evelyn J Song
- Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Chenyu Sun
- AMITA Health Saint Joseph Hospital Chicago, 2900 N. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago 60657, Illinois, USA
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17
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Impact of COVID-19 on the Hong Kong Youth Quitline Service and Quitting Behaviors of Its Users. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2020; 17:ijerph17228397. [PMID: 33202764 PMCID: PMC7696005 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17228397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2020] [Revised: 11/04/2020] [Accepted: 11/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Tobacco use is a possible risk factor for contracting and spreading COVID-19. We aimed to describe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Youth Quitline service and quitting behaviors of its users in Hong Kong. We conducted a telephone survey involving 201 participants of the Youth Quitline service, and retrospectively analyzed the operation and use of Quitline since the COVID-19 outbreak in Hong Kong. The number of incoming calls to the Youth Quitline and the participants' quit rate has increased since the COVID-19 outbreak in Hong Kong. Many participants (68%) did not realize that tobacco use potentially increased their risk for developing and spreading COVID-19; however, 43% agreed that the pandemic motivated their intention to quit, and 83% changed their smoking habits during the pandemic. These changes were mainly due to wearing masks (30%), closure of bars/pubs (25%), suspension of classes (14%), and being unable to socialize with friends (24%). Overall, 58% reduced their tobacco use; of these participants, 66% reported a ≥50% reduction in daily cigarette consumption. The participants reduced their smoking during the COVID-19 pandemic despite lacking knowledge about the potentially increased risk for contracting COVID-19 from continued smoking. The pandemic could create new opportunities to motivate young smokers to quit smoking, especially those seeking support for smoking cessation, and may further contribute to reducing the risks posed by COVID-19.
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18
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Takagi H. Systematic review of the prevalence of current smoking among hospitalized COVID‑19 patients in China: could nicotine be a therapeutic option? Intern Emerg Med 2020; 15:1601-1603. [PMID: 32803630 PMCID: PMC7429138 DOI: 10.1007/s11739-020-02473-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2020] [Accepted: 08/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hisato Takagi
- Shizuoka Medical Center, 762-1 Nagasawa, Shimizu-cho, Sunto-gun, Shizuoka, 411-8611, Japan.
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19
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Wang GY, Tang SF. Perceived psychosocial health and its sociodemographic correlates in times of the COVID-19 pandemic: a community-based online study in China. Infect Dis Poverty 2020; 9:148. [PMID: 33106187 PMCID: PMC7586696 DOI: 10.1186/s40249-020-00770-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been affecting people's psychosocial health and well-being through various complex pathways. The present study aims to investigate the perceived psychosocial health and its sociodemographic correlates among Chinese community-dwelling residents. METHODS This cross-sectional survey was carried out online and using a structured questionnaire during April 2020. In total, 4788 men and women with the age range of 11-98 years from eight provinces in eastern, central and western China were included in the analysis. We adopted a tactical approach to capture three key domains of perceived psychosocial health that are more likely to occur during a pandemic including hopelessness, loneliness, and depression. Multiple regression method, binary logistic regression model and variance inflation factor (VIF) were used to conduct data analysis. RESULTS Respectively 34.8%, 32.5% and 44.8% of the participants expressed feeling more hopeless, lonely, and depressed during the pandemic. The percentage of all three indicators was comparatively higher among women than among men: hopelessness (50.7% vs 49.3%), loneliness (52.4% vs 47.6%), and depression (56.2% vs 43.8%). Being married was associated with lower odds of loneliness among men (odds ratio [OR] = 0.63, 95% CI: 0.45-0.90). Loneliness was negatively associated with smoking (OR = 0.67, 95% CI: 0.45-0.99) and positively associated with drinking (OR = 1.45, 95% CI: 1.04-2.02). Compared with those in the lowest income bracket (< CNY 10 000), men (OR = 0.34, 95% CI: 0.21-0.55) and women (OR = 0.36, 95% CI: 0.23-0.56) in the highest level of annually housed income (> CNY 40 000) had the lowest odds of reporting perceived hopelessness (OR = 0.35, 95% CI: 0.25-0.48). Smoking also showed negative association with depression only among men (OR = 0.63, 95% CI: 0.43-0.91). CONCLUSIONS More than one-third of the participants reported worsening in the experience of hopelessness and loneliness, with more than two-fifth of worsening depression during the pandemic compared with before the outbreak. Several socioeconomic and lifestyle factors were found to be associated with the outcome variables, most notably participants' marital status, household income, smoking, alcohol drinking, existing chronic conditions. These findings may be of significance to treat patients and help them recover from the pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gan-Yi Wang
- Henan Medical Products Administration & Center for ADR Monitoring of Henan, 127 Huayuan Road, Zhengzhou, 450008, Henan, China
| | - Shang-Feng Tang
- School of Medicine and Health Management, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 13 Hangkong Road, Wuhan, 430030, Hubei, China.
- Center for Health Service Research in Rural Areas, Key Research Institute of Humanities & Social Sciences at Universities in Hubei Province, 13 Hangkong Road, Wuhan, 430030, Hubei, China.
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20
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Dashti H, Roche EC, Bates DW, Mora S, Demler O. SARS2 simplified scores to estimate risk of hospitalization and death among patients with COVID-19. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2020. [PMID: 32935112 PMCID: PMC7491527 DOI: 10.1101/2020.09.11.20190520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Although models have been developed for predicting severity of COVID-19 based on the medical history of patients, simplified risk prediction models with good accuracy could be more practical. In this study, we examined utility of simpler models for estimating risk of hospitalization of patients with COVID-19 and mortality of these patients based on demographic characteristics (sex, age, race, median household income based on zip code) and smoking status of 12,347 patients who tested positive at Mass General Brigham centers. The corresponding electronic health records were queried from 02/26/2020 to 07/14/2020 to construct derivation and validation cohorts. The derivation cohort was used to fit a generalized linear model for estimating risk of hospitalization within 30 days of COVID-19 diagnosis and mortality within approximately 3 months for the hospitalized patients. On the validation cohort, the model resulted in c-statistics of 0.77 [95% CI: 0.73-0.80] for hospitalization outcome, and 0.72 [95% CI: 0.69-0.74] for mortality among hospitalized patients. Higher risk was associated with older age, male sex, black ethnicity, lower socioeconomic status, and current/past smoking status. The model can be applied to predict risk of hospitalization and mortality, and could aid decision making when detailed medical history of patients is not easily available.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hesam Dashti
- Center for Lipid Metabolomics, Division of Preventive Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Elise C Roche
- Center for Lipid Metabolomics, Division of Preventive Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - David William Bates
- Center for Lipid Metabolomics, Division of Preventive Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Samia Mora
- Center for Lipid Metabolomics, Division of Preventive Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Olga Demler
- Center for Lipid Metabolomics, Division of Preventive Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
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21
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Yates T, Zaccardi F, Razieh C, Gillies CL, Rowlands A, Kloecker DE, Chudasama YV, Davies MJ, Khunti K. Framework to aid analysis and interpretation of ongoing COVID-19 research. Wellcome Open Res 2020. [DOI: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.16227.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
The global coronavirus pandemic has precipitated a rapid unprecedented research response, including investigations into risk factors for COVID-19 infection, severity, or death. However, results from this research have produced heterogeneous findings, including articles published in Wellcome Open Research. Here, we use ethnicity, obesity, and smoking as illustrative examples to demonstrate how a research question can produce very different answers depending on how it is framed. For example, these factors can be both strongly associated or have a null association with death due to COVID-19, even when using the same dataset and statistical modelling. Highlighting the reasons underpinning this apparent paradox provides an important framework for reporting and interpreting ongoing COVID-19 research.
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22
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Dubey MJ, Ghosh R, Chatterjee S, Biswas P, Chatterjee S, Dubey S. COVID-19 and addiction. Diabetes Metab Syndr 2020; 14:817-823. [PMID: 32540735 PMCID: PMC7282772 DOI: 10.1016/j.dsx.2020.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 207] [Impact Index Per Article: 51.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2020] [Revised: 06/03/2020] [Accepted: 06/05/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS 2019-coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is causing insurmountable psychosocial impact on the whole mankind. Marginalized community, particularly those with substance use disorders (SUD), are particularly vulnerable to contract the infection and also likely to suffer from greater psychosocial burden. This article analyses the intricate bi-directional relationship between COVID-19 and addiction. METHODS Pubmed and Google Scholar are searched with the following key terms- "COVID-19", "SARS-CoV2", "Pandemic", "Addiction", "Opioid", "Alcohol", "Smoking", "Addiction Psychiatry", "Deaddiction", "Substance use disorders", "Behavioral addiction". Few newspaper reports related to COVID-19 and addiction have also been added as per context. RESULTS People with SUD are at greater risk of worse COVID-19 outcome. There is surge of addictive behaviors (both new and relapse) including behavioral addiction in this period. Withdrawal emergencies and death are also being increasingly reported. Addicted people are especially facing difficulties in accessing the healthcare services which are making them prone to procure drugs by illegal means. CONCLUSION COVID-19 and addiction are the two pandemics which are on the verge of collision causing major public health threat. While every effort must be taken to make the public aware of deleterious effects of SUD on COVID-19 prognosis, the resumption of deaddiction services and easier accessibility of prescription drugs are needs of the hour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahua Jana Dubey
- Department of Psychiatry, Specialist Medical Officer, Department of Psychiatry, Berhampore Mental Hospital, Berhampore, Mushridabad, West Bengal, India.
| | - Ritwik Ghosh
- Department of General Medicine, Burdwan Medical College and Hospital, Burdwan, West Bengal, India.
| | - Subham Chatterjee
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research & SSKM Hospital, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
| | - Payel Biswas
- Department of Radiodiagnosis, Care & Cure Hospital, Barasat, West Bengal, India.
| | - Subhankar Chatterjee
- Department of General Medicine, Department of General Medicine, Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences, Ranchi, Jharkhand, India.
| | - Souvik Dubey
- Department of Neuromedicine, Bangur Institute of Neurosciences, Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research & SSKM Hospital, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
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23
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Caci G, Albini A, Malerba M, Noonan DM, Pochetti P, Polosa R. COVID-19 and Obesity: Dangerous Liaisons. J Clin Med 2020; 9:E2511. [PMID: 32759719 PMCID: PMC7465218 DOI: 10.3390/jcm9082511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2020] [Revised: 07/22/2020] [Accepted: 07/28/2020] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Besides advanced age and the presence of multiple comorbidities as major contributors to increased risk of severe disease and fatal outcome from Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) disease (COVID-19), there is now emerging evidence that overweight and obesity predispose to severe symptoms and negative prognosis. Remarkably, the severity of COVID-19 appears to rise with increasing body mass index (BMI). The association between COVID-19 outcomes and overweight/obesity has biological and physiological plausibility. Potential pathophysiological mechanisms that may explain this strong association include the chronic pro-inflammatory state, the excessive oxidative stress response, and the impaired immunity that is commonly reported in these individuals. The role of cytokines, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), and altered natural killer cell polarization in the dangerous liaison between COVID-19 and obesity are discussed here. These pathways can favor and accelerate the deleterious downstream cellular effects of SARS-CoV-2. Moreover, obesity is well known to be associated with reduced lung function and poor response to mechanical ventilation, thus placing these individuals at high risk of severe illness and mortality from COVID-19. Furthermore, obesity may lead to other complications, such as renal failure, cardiovascular dysfunction, hypertension, and vascular damage, which in turn can further accelerate negative clinical outcomes from COVID-19. Obese individuals should be shielded against any potential viral exposure to SARS-CoV-2 with consequential considerations for compulsory protection devices and social distancing. Health care providers should be aware that obesity predisposes to severe symptoms and negative prognosis in COVID-19 patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grazia Caci
- Internal Medicine, Luzerner Kantonsspital, LUKS, 6000 Luzern 16, Switzerland;
| | - Adriana Albini
- Scientific and Technology Pole, IRCCS MultiMedica, 20138 Milan, Italy; (A.A.); (D.M.N.)
| | - Mario Malerba
- Traslational Medicine Department, Eastern Piedmont University (UPO), 13100 Novara, Italy;
- Respiratory Unit, St. Andrea Hospital, 13100 Vercelli, Italy;
- Center of Excellence for the acceleration of HArm Reduction (CoEHAR), University of Catania, 95124 Catania, Italy
| | - Douglas M. Noonan
- Scientific and Technology Pole, IRCCS MultiMedica, 20138 Milan, Italy; (A.A.); (D.M.N.)
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, 21100 Varese, Italy
| | | | - Riccardo Polosa
- Center of Excellence for the acceleration of HArm Reduction (CoEHAR), University of Catania, 95124 Catania, Italy
- Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Sperimentale, University of Catania, 95124 Catania, Italy
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24
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Polosa R, Spinicci M, Prisco D. "COVID-19: diagnosis, management and prognosis": a new topical collection of Internal and Emergency Medicine. Intern Emerg Med 2020; 15:747-750. [PMID: 32734430 PMCID: PMC7391015 DOI: 10.1007/s11739-020-02461-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Accepted: 07/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Riccardo Polosa
- Dipartimento Di Medicina Clinica E Sperimentale (MEDCLIN), University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
- Center of Excellence for the Acceleration of HArm Reduction (CoEHAR), University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
| | - Michele Spinicci
- Dipartimento Di Medicina Sperimentale E Clinica (DMSC), Università Di Firenze, Florence, Italy
- SOD Malattie Infettive E Tropicali, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Careggi, Florence, Italy
| | - Domenico Prisco
- Dipartimento Di Medicina Sperimentale E Clinica (DMSC), Università Di Firenze, Florence, Italy
- SOD Medicina Interna Interdisciplinare, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Careggi, Florence, Italy
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